In Kilkenny, they do things a little differently compared to the myriad comedy festivals that now take place across the British Isles each year. Rather than expecting each comic to perform their own self-contained hour-long show (as happens at Edinburgh and elsewhere), the organisers of Cat Laughs base their lineup around a series of mixed, club-style bills. Turn up at one of the scheduled shows, and you'll see three or four comics performing shorter sets, creating an enjoyably eclectic atmosphere for the punters and allowing the festival to accommodate more than 60 comedians across a relatively tiny number of venues over just five days. In that time, festival-goers will have the chance to see a cross-section of the best talent on the local and international scene, from marquee names such as Genius host and serial quest-pursuer Dave Gorman, and laidback American superstar Rich Hall to exciting up-and-comers like sharp-clawed storyteller Sarah Millican and the ever-lovable Russell Kane, plus a juicy cluster of brilliant homegrown stars including Jason Byrne, if.comedy winner David O'Doherty and saucer-eyed Andrew Maxwell.